Thursday Tidbits: S(H)e Loves Me

Photo: Sister72/Flickr

LOCAL BITES

Java, Let Me Count the Ways
The second hour (11 AM) of “On Point” tomorrow, Feb. 10, will be dedicated to that most necessary, beloved, personal and sometimes controversial of topics, coffee. American tastes in coffee, that is, and the ongoing battle for our taste buds. Tune in, and join the discussion by phone, Facebook or Twitter.

Your Valentine, You and Your Terrible-Two
Friday evening, Feb. 10, Aura restaurant at the Seaport Boston Hotel is offering one of its Family-style Fine Dining dinners. This means serious cuisine for you and both kid-friendly dishes and Valentine’s Day-themed crafts for the kid(s). Peace. Love. Fun. It all begins at 5:30 PM. More information here.

Make Reservations First, Love Later
Food is love, Valentine’s Day is Tuesday, and Boston-area restaurants — too many to list — are ready to serve you and your loved one. Choose your favorite and book it now! You’ll thank us later…

Love Needn’t Be Blind
On Monday, Feb. 13, come to BU for a lecture and tasting guided by Nancy Harmon Jenkins on what might actually be in that beloved bottle of extra virgin olive oil sitting on your shelf. Offered through BU’s Food and Wine Program, Jenkins’ talk is one in the ongoing Pépin Lecture Series, free and open to the public. Learn more.

What We Eat
Northeastern University’s Open Classroom Seminars continues its semester-long series on Food & American Society: An Urban Prospective. Next Wednesday, Feb. 15, Frances Moore Lappé of The Small Planet Institute will speak on Food, Ecology, Democracy, Justice. On Feb. 22, hear Sara Dwyer of Oldways and Northeastern professors Lori Lefkovitz and Robert Hall discuss the role of culture in what we eat. Lectures are free and open to the public, but you’ll need to register.

Raw Milk. Discuss
Harvard Law School Food Law Society is hosting a public discussion on Thursday, Feb. 16, on the health benefits, health risks and attempt to regulate the consumption of raw milk. They’ve got quite a line-up of speakers on the roster, and you can livestream it. More information here.

NATIONAL TREATS

On the Road to ‘Crisp’
Cambridge-based DuraFizz is working to develop a commercial french fry that can be baked, not fried, and still be deliciously crispy. The process and ingredients appear to be healthy, which is important: schools and military installations might become their clients. Scott Kirsner of the Boston Globe reports.

Share the Love
Just the photo is enough to make you drool. Bon Appetit claims these as the best chocolates in America.

Eating What’s on the Table
A new study shows that babies allowed to feed themselves — rather than being spoon-fed — not only self-regulate the quantity of what they eat, but also make healthier choices. From NPR’s food blog The Salt.

Growing Food for Whom?
Writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, Vikram Mansharamani draws an interesting analogy between bankers and the housing bubble prior to 2008 and today’s farmers. It’s a compelling argument and sobering food for thought. Echoes of the need for change in the 2012 Farm Bill.

Eating Mindfully
This may be harder than it seems. The NY Times reports on concerted efforts to make the mouth and the mind meet.

GLOBAL TASTINGS

Politically Incorrect
This isn’t funny, it’s scary: over 500 people sickened with food poison in Mexico at a political rally. Imagine the furor were it to happen here?